The Test for Truth: Discerning those who Claim Brotherhood

Scripture Reading 1 John 4:1-6

Opening Prayer

Introduction

We live in a world filled with “Spiritual.” I once thought the world would become more and more secular indefinitely, now I’m not as sure...

1 John 4:6 ESV

6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Big question: How can we tell if someone has the Spirit or not?

Exposition 1 (1-3)

1 John 4:1–3 ESV

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

The word “beloved” in verse 1 signifies a major exhortation

Another exhortation in verse 7

Exhortation:

As we seek to answer our big question of How can we tell? first know that we are to...

I. Test professing believers and teachers to see if they are believers

This is the exhortation

1 John 4:1 ESV

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Why test?

Because there are many false prophets (1)

Is this still true today?...

1 John 4:2 ESV

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

How to test?

You test their confession.

But we know this can’t just be words right?

How?

Many who come to Jesus in judgment claim they knew Him though they didn’t.

So what is going on here?

Let’s look at the context

1 John 3:23–24 ESV

23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Believers are the those who believe and obey.

Notice, this was a single commandment.

They are inseparable

Notice the closing words, “by the Spirit whom He has given us”

So the test, here in context means that this confession is included with faithful obedience to the teachings and commands of Christ.

1 John 4:2 ESV

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

So what is actually being said here?

The Gospel is proclaimed by the Spirit

1 John 4:3 ESV

3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

So what are these false teachers?

They are anti-christ

explain...

Exposition 2 (4-6)

1 John 4:4–6 ESV

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

In these verses we can make several observations in response to this command to test the Spirits

In verse 4 we see that, if you are a child of God, the power within you is far superior to that within an antichrist. Not only that, but the antichrist has even already been defeated.

In verse 5 we see that those who are against Christ indeed are influential

They speak the language of the world

The world listens

Remember, these anti-christs are not necessarily religious

In verse 6 we see that instead of influence in the world, we have influence among the church

II. The test of belief is revealed in relation to the world vs. relation to the church.

Who is being pleased?

Who is being appealed to?

Conclusion

Gospel